CIRSE 2023 took place from September 9-13 in Copenhagen; as we take a look back over the congress, we are still beaming from the goodwill we feel towards the faculty, attendees, industry partners, and staff who worked together to create the convivial spirit that exemplified this year’s meeting.
CIRSE 2023 covered the entire spectrum of interventional radiology topics, from well-established therapies to the latest hot topics. The programme featured a variety of session types suited to IRs at all stages of their careers. With light-hearted sessions such as the film interpretation quiz to more hard-hitting discussions at expert round tables and hot topic symposiums, to cutting-edge research presented at the FIRST@CIRSE sessions, the congress offered something for everyone.
All lectures from CIRSE 2023 are now available to watch on demand via the CIRSE library!
Featuring more than 250 scientific sessions, 1,590 presentations, 524 faculty members, 876 scientific paper and poster presenters, multitudes of hands-on learning opportunities, a top-notch industry exhibition, interactive activities, collaboration, and networking, this event brought together thousands of interventionists and specialists from neighbouring specialties from all over the globe for the IR meeting of the year.
IDEAS, the Interdisciplinary Endovascular Aortic Symposium, was held once again this year to promote multidisciplinary collaboration between IR and other physicians working in aortic treatment. Featuring case-based discussions, video learning sessions, and expert round tables, all content from IDEAS 2023 is now available to watch on demand.
The 2023 RPP celebrated 10 years of managing radiation risks for patients and staff this year. Including talks from world-leading experts and showcasing the latest in protective technologies, this edition of the RPP focused on a different topic each day, from the worldwide challenge of radiation protection, to considerations for protecting yourself and your staff, to new approaches and directions for the future of radiation protection in IR.
CIRSE 2023 featured dozens of opportunities to gain hands-on experience with the latest tools and devices.
The Hands-on Device Training (HDT) sessions provided an overview of the various devices available for a specific procedure while at the same time providing hands-on experience to participants. Back for a second time this year, the IDEAS practical course series covered a wide array of aortic topics and provided participants with the opportunity to experience a more hands-on learning approach. Safe sedation workshops gave attendees the opportunity to perform procedural sedation (PSA) in a simulated environment under expert guidance. The simulation training sessions let delegates follow demonstrations of interventional techniques and practice certain procedures under the guidance of an expert instructor and/or simulator technician. New this year, the GI-Lab sessions familiarized attendees with the devices used for common GI procedures.
The CIRSE 2023 awards were conferred at the Opening and Awards Ceremony on the first afternoon of the congress.
This year, the Gold Medal went to Prof. Robert Morgan, former CIRSE president and longstanding supporter of the society through his tenure in numerous committees and other project commitments. Prof. Morgan has made an outstanding contribution to the practice of science and IR on an international scale, and has greatly furthered the image and impact of the society.
This year, Prof. Mohamad Hamady, Prof. Riad Salem, and Prof. Bruno Sangro joined the ranks of distinguished fellows in recognition of their exceptional contributions to the practice and science of interventional radiology.
The Award of Excellence and Innovation In IR went to Dr. Yuji Okuno for his pioneering work on the treatment of chronic musculoskeletal inflammation and pain.
The CVIR editors medal was awarded to Dr. Robbert S. Puijk et al. for their paper Improved Outcomes of Thermal Ablation for Colorectal Liver Metastases: A 10-Year Analysis from the Prospective Amsterdam CORE Registry (AmCORE)
And to Prof. Ulf Teichgräber et al. for their paper Long-Term Effectiveness and Safety of Femoropopliteal Drug-Coated Balloon Angioplasty : 5-Year Results of the Randomized Controlled EffPac Trial
The EBIR Certificate of Distinction was awarded to the two top-scoring candidates of the past two exams, Mona Mossad and Karthikeyan Muthugounder Athiyappanfrom the October 2022 exam, and Hao Xiang and Andrian Raoul Kobe for the March 2023 exam.
This year’s Magna Cum Laude poster awards went to Florentine Timmer and Dr. Do Hoon Kim.
This year’s Andreas Gruentzig lecture was given by Prof. Raman Uberoi. After a laudation from Prof. Stefan Müller-Hülsbeck, Prof. Uberoi gave a talk entitled “Interventional radiology: the next generation.”
“This [the next generation] is really important to consider where we’re going; where we are taking the next IRs. The next generation is crucial for the future survival, development and evolution of our specialty.” He began. His lecture walked through the history of IR before detailing the current challenges facing IRs and calling for leadership in fostering culture and best practice for patients to ensure the advancement of IR.
Prof. Thierry de Baere gave the laudation for Prof. Yasuaki Arai, who gave this year’s Josef Roesch lecture, titled “Let’s jump out of the box of fixed concepts!”
Prof. Arai’s presentation was illustrated with interesting cases in which a perhaps non-textbook choice provided a good solution. “Fixed concepts did not fall from the sky!” he implored. “They’re made by humans and not always correct; you are human as well. Something may improve by you jumping out of the box.”
While online participants had full access to most lectures, the myriad of activities onsite added additional educational opportunities and an exciting component to the live event in Copenhagen.
Each day at CIRSE 2023 opened with a yoga session led by CIRSE 2023 Local Host Committee Chairperson, Prof. Arindam Bharadwaz.
Many of CIRSE’s initiatives were represented with a booth and held interactive events throughout the programme. A very entertaining general knowledge quiz on CIRSE’s initiatives was held on the first evening of the congress, hosted by Online Education Committee Chairpersons Dimitrios Filippiadis and Julien Garnon and offered prizes such as a 2024 All Access Pass, free congress registration, and CIRSE 2023 Farewell Dinner and Party tickets.
Across the hall from the quiz, a Women in IR reception was held to celebrate and further encourage the increased participation of women in interventional radiology as a speciality.
Other quizzes and receptions happened throughout the congress, from CVIR bingo to IASIOS and CIRSE Academy quizzes, a CIRSE journals awards ceremony, and an IASIOS reception. The EBIR team was also onsite with copies of all CIRSE curricula and hosted multilingual Q&A sessions with successful EBIR candidates where attendees could ask their questions about how to prepare for the exam.
The ESIR team held open consultations for anyone interested in hosting a European School of Interventional Radiology course in 2025, Next Research’s team presented on the topic of data monitoring, and CVIR and Next Research hosted a joint session on navigating statistics during paper preparation.
The European Trainee Forum’s programme provided a recommended pathway through the congress for IRs at the start of their careers as well as many networking opportunities and short talks.
The Student Programme – be inspIRed – attracted a record number of participants this year, with more than 300 medical students in attendance promising an ever-brighter future for IR.
CIRSE 2023 participants helped build better care, literally – through the knowledge gained and connections made at the congress, and figuratively – through LEGO® bricks!
The Scientific Programme Committee is already hard at work preparing the programme for CIRSE 2024. Mark your calendars – CIRSE 2024 will take place in Lisbon, Portugal, from September 14-18!
